Is an hour a day of exercise enough for children?
Physical activity in children and adolescents improves strength and endurance, builds healthy bones and lean muscles, develops motor skills and coordination, reduces fat, and promotes emotional well-being. Activities should be appropriate for their age and fun, as well as offer variety. The daily recommendation for children is at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity. More than 60 minutes per day is great as long as it is done safely and your child is continuing to enjoy what he’s doing. The 60 minutes does not need to be done all at once. Physical activity can be broken down into shorter blocks of time. For example, 20 minutes walking to and from school, 10 minutes jumping rope, and 30 minutes at the playground all add up to 60 minutes of physical activity. If your child is not active now, start from where you are and build from there.
